A 72-year-old South Carolina man died Saturday morning after his kayak capsized in the ocean off Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The kayaker launched from the beach near Ramp 43, east of the Cape Point Campground near Buxton, National Park Service spokesperson Mike Barber said in a release.
Bystanders reported seeing the kayak capsize while the man attempted to ride a wave roughly 50 yards from the beach, the release said. They swam out to help pull the man from the kayak and brought him to the beach. First responders were notified shortly before 10:30 a.m.
Life-saving efforts were initiated but the kayaker died, Barber said. The man is from Florence, South Carolina, but the park service did not release his name.
Because the fatality occurred while kayaking, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is investigating.
“We send our condolences to the kayaker’s family and friends,” Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent David Hallac said in the release.
